Love, Cannibals and Evil Cats
by Brandon Rice
Summary: While hunting for the stolen sun stone, Lucca and Magus wind up in 12,022 BC. There they encounter a Cannibalistic Dalton, Fiendish Felines and the side-effects of too much alcohol. It’s all just part of their warped love story. LuMa
1. Son of Sun, Son of a Gun

**Love, Cannibals and Evil Cats**

**By Brandon Rice**

**Disclaimer**: Crono Trigger belongs to the good people at Square-Enix. I own nothing at all.

Don't forget to visit my profile page for an extended summary of this fanfic!

This story may be a bit long, because I don't know how far I'm taking it. I have a basic idea, and another, even longer idea. Depending on how well liked it is I may go ahead and use the long idea. Or I may shorten it if I find a general lack of interests. Anyway, this first chapter is probably going to be the worst since its pure plot; and I hate plot. Well, I hate writing it anyway. After we get past the end of this one it'll get better. Much better. Trust me. So, just hang in there, okay? And remember, if you review, I love you long time.  
  
Err . . . bad joke. Sorry.

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_Chapter One_

**---- ---- ---- ---- ----**

Lucca had few times in life that she really just despised. She had many bad memories, but few that were so very bad she hated them. This was shaping up to be one of those few memories. When Gaspar had mentioned recharging the Moon Stone, which could provide some awesome weapons for the gang, Lucca had been more than willing to go along. Even when she heard she'd have to accompany Frog and Magus on this quest. (Crono was still weak from his recent revival, and Marle refused to leave his side. Since Gaspar hinted water magic would be needed, that left her stuck with her current companions). She had not expected this, however.

Lucca was down on her knees, attempting to recover from that last shot. The creature they were now engaged in combat with was called, ironically enough, Son of Sun. They quickly learned that attacking his eye directly would be pointless. It had been sheer luck of Frog's that they learned the secret. One of the dancing balls of fire that floated around him was the true source of damage. This only left the downside that if they attacked the wrong one, they'd get burned.

Lucca could hear Magus cursing about something. That was nothing new, since the start of this battle he'd been slinging profanities left and right as fireballs smashed into him from every angle. Lucca didn't really care what Magus said, she was more interested in his hand gestures. Not the finger (though he'd been seen giving that a few times) but the way he was now pointing his arms in various directions.  
  
"What are you doing!?" Lucca cried out.

"I'm going to give it a ring and ask for marriage!" Magus snapped back. "What do you think I'm doing!?"

"NO! You're magic –"

Too late. Magus had launched a cascade of Dark Mist right at the beast; and all of its flames. The one true flame was hit and it did cause heavy damage to the eye. The problem was the rest of the false fires. They all counterattacked. And not just Magus. She wouldn't have cared if they all hit Magus. No, they hit Magus once. Two others attacked Frog, and the third sent a blast of heat her way. She was hit directly in the chest and thrown backward onto the floor. It was times like this that made her really curse her luck.

Lucca aimed her gun. That last attack had severely damaged them all, but it had done the same to Son of Sun. And she knew which flame was the right flame. One good hit should take him down. Aiming carefully the young genius fired a round just as the flames began to dance and rotate. She hit a false flame and instantly they'd angered it too much. A fire blast from the flame she hit, and a flare from the eye was all it took. Lucca was down. She couldn't take any more abuse or she'd be dead. And Frog, the only healer with them, was knocked out.

Lucca looked around the desolate room. There were a few of those Zeal Statues nearby. Perhaps she could find shelter behind one of them. Sprinting as fast as the scorched geek could manage; she dove behind the statue just as a ball of heat hit the ground behind her. It was close enough to singe her shirt; and melt the arm off the statue. Lucca was beginning to hate these odds.

"Alright, now I'm mad."  
  
It took Lucca a moment to realize that Magus was speaking to her. He too was seeking shelter behind the enormous statue. He was floating above her, glaring at Son of Sun with an angry scowl.

"It's your fault!" Lucca growled her anger hotter than their enemy. "If you hadn't attacked then Frog could heal us!"

"Frog is useless." Magus replied simply.

"No, Frog is a great swordsman _and_ a useful magician!" Lucca shot back. "You're the one who's going to get us killed!"

"I." Magus's voice had suddenly taken on an icy tone that caused Lucca to shiver. She hated to admit it, but Magus could be awfully scary when he wanted too. "Am greater than Sir Froggy – or any of you – could ever hope to be."

Lucca wanted to remind him of how they had mopped the floor with him when they fought him. However she never did. At that moment a flare attack ripped their statue into shreds and destroyed any shelter they had once had. Magus had the keen ability to cause an argument even in the grimmest of situations. On Death Peak he and Frog had become so engrossed in insulting each other that the Lavos Spawn they'd been fighting had almost killed them.

Of course Lucca couldn't think back to those times now. She was busy trying not to be fried. Frog had been carrying the bag of elixirs and tonics with him, and it was now at his feet. If she could get to him and those items, she could stand a chance against the burning horror before her. If not, she'd die here. Roasted alive with Magus and an unconscious Frog. That was not how she wanted to die, thank you very much.

So Lucca ran once again. She had to move very fast, because Son of Sun was constantly launching fireballs at her. She could hear them explode on the ground behind her and she could feel pieces of floor whirl through the air. Finally she dropped down at Frog's side and poured one of the elixirs into her mouth quickly. She also splashed Frog with a revival potion before jumped aside (just in time too, since the bag of items was Son of Sun's next target and it was soon engulfed in hot yellow death).

"Hearken?" Frog muttered as he opened his eyes. A fireball was whirling right at him and he quickly yelped and rolled to his side. Magus was still floating in the air, watching Son of Sun closely. Lucca aimed her gun and fired. She hit the wrong one and a painfully close call was her reward as flames licked her back. Frog gave a mighty battle cry and slashed a puff of fire with the Masamune; but it too was wrong and Frog was sent falling backwards, desperately trying to squash the tiny inferno on his cloak.

Finally Magus attacked once more. He opened up a black hole and two of the dancing embers were swallowed up. That left only three; and two of them were the ones Lucca and Frog had attacked. Lucca grinned, thankful for once that they had allowed Magus to join their party. She took aim and fired a deadly accurate shot. An instant later the beast went down. The center eye and all of its painful helpers were gone.

"You see." Magus smiled in a snobbish manner. "I took care of it."

"The creature would have met the same fate sooner had you not invoked its wrath before!" Frog pointed out in a very angry voice. Frog hated being knocked out in battles. Magus ignored him all together. He merely stepped up to the alter and looked down at the pearly white Moon Stone.

"Well, no use complaining anymore." Lucca sighed. "Let's just get it to Epoch and head back in to the End of Time."

Lucca strolled right by Magus and Frog, carrying the stone in her arms. She had no clue what kind of trouble that stone would bring her. Still smoldering from the previous battle, and upset at the realization that they'd have to buy a whole new cache of supplies, Lucca climbed into the cockpit of the ship. Frog and Magus joined her soon afterwards. Frog seemed to be too tired to speak, and Magus was just being quiet (not that that was a shock).

**----**

The trip was a short one. Epoch may not be the fastest thing in the sky (not after remember Dalton's Airship, at any rate) but it was certainly able to skip through time periods quick enough. After a short jump to the End of Time, the three worn-out time travelers jumped off of the flying machine and onto the short street corner that made up the end of the known universe.

"Hey! You guys are back!" Marle shouted. She was leaning against the light post, next to a sleeping Gaspar. The others weren't anywhere to be seen, but judging from the loud cries of battle from behind the old wooden door Lucca figured they were battling "The Master of War".

"Really? How'd you come by that amazing deduction?" Magus remarked as he swept past them all with a swish of his cape and made his way up towards the pillars of light. Magus usually spent his time on the other end of the street, but he was prone to go and stare at the gate portals from time to time. No one really understood why; nor did they want too.

For the most part, the gang just ignored the wizard. Crono didn't talk very much as it was, and he'd barley said a word to Magus. Marle and Lucca usually got into fights with him anytime they tried to speak with him; and Frog seemed on the verge of drawing Masamune and trying to smite him 24/7. Robo and Ayla were oblivious.

Marle ignored him and instead took to admiring the Moon Stone. Tomorrow they'd head for 65,000,000 B.C. and plant the stone in the cavern. It'd take millions of years for the stone to re-energize, but that was not a problem for them. Actually they could have the fully ready Sun Stone tonight if they wanted; but Lucca and Frog needed a good nights rest before doing anything else. And, judging by the sounds from the War Room; Crono and the others would need the same.

Once everyone had been assembled and a recount of the battle was given (Crono nearly fainted when he learned there were no Elixirs left; Spekkio had given him hell with a nasty fire magic.) they decided to completely their quest tomorrow. Soon everyone was asleep. Robo was leaning against the wall near Spekkio's door; while Frog was snuggled up in the charred remains of his cloak near the lamp post. Crono was resting by the Lavos trash can and Marle was leaning against him (Holding him a bit _too_ tight for anyone to mistake her intentions). Lucca was sleeping in the cockpit of Epoch, deciding that it'd be more comfortable than the ground. Ayla was curled up like a cat at Gaspar's feet. (Some of the group was now convinced she was part feline, since she'd taken to hissing every time Gaspar tries to move her away).  
  
Lucca hadn't cared about any of this. She was quite comfortable in Epoch. She'd wrapped her jacket around her helmet and created a pillow; it wasn't comfortable, but it was better than having her head on the emergency brake. Of course all good things eventually get ruined by evil wizards or something like that. And it was true. Not long after she'd fallen asleep, she heard the pitter patter of someone knocking on the large dome window. Finally opening her eyes and shoving her glasses into place she looked up to see Magus.

"What?" She called through the glass; her voice as faint as a ghost's shadow.

"Where is it?" Magus called back just as muffled.

"Where is what?" Lucca asked. It was like having a conversation underwater.

"The Moon Stone, stupid. Where'd you put it?"

Finally deciding that straining her ears wasn't worth this, she popped the dome open. Magus had to jump back to avoid being hit in the face and that didn't improve his mood.

"Why do you want the Moo-oo-ooon Stone?" Lucca asked during a large yawn.

"Hmm. Its freezing cold in this God-forsaken place. That stone has enough magic boil an ocean. I dunno, maybe I want to drill some holes in it and go bowling."

Lucca glared viciously at him. "It's not been charged. You know it won't keep you warm."

"No." Magus replied in a very snobbish manner. "I'm from Zeal. I've seen what it can do. So give it to me. _Now_."

The last word was said in such a cold, dangerous voice that Lucca grumbled and reached under the seat. She shoved the glowing pearl-like stone into Magus's arms and then promptly shut the lid of Epoch once again. Magus was on her bad side today because of the battle. Normally she just ignored him. Most of the gang did. Except for Frog who had to work hard to fight the urge to smite him. Still, Lucca wouldn't have shed any tears if Frog did unsheathe the Masamune one of these days. Especially since her favorite orange jacket was burnt beyond repair and she'd have to take it home to be fixed by her mother. This would require explaining where she'd been, and why her jacket was singed nearly in two. That would be a fun conversation. _Gee ma', I'm traveling with Crono, the Princess, a robot from the future, a cavewoman, a talking frog-knight and the evil wizard who tried to destroy mankind 400 years ago so that we can save the future from a big mutant . . . turtle . . . thing._

Sighing, she turned over and went back to sleep.

**----**

Lucca awoke in the morning to the sounds of arguing. Not that this was unordinary. All of them were friends – except for Magus – but they were still stuck with each other. And everybody knows when that many people are stuck together for that long; arguments happen. However as she heard Frog screaming medieval curses and waving the Masamune around wildly she knew at once who had caused this quibble. Unwrapping her jacket from her helmet and putting it back on Lucca climbed out of Epoch. She quickly set her helmet on her head – the morning hair was worse than a Nu's snoring – and she set off down to the other side of the end of time. She gasped at what she saw.

Magus was lying, apparently still asleep, with his arms cross in front of him like a mummy. The Moon Stone was hanging above him basking the wizard in an unnatural silver light and, judging from their conversation last night, warmth. Everyone else was screaming at Magus loudly (even Crono, who rarely spoke) trying to tell him to wake up. Frog was jumping and waving the Masamune as he shouted threats; but Magus slumbered on. Or he pretended too – Lucca spotted the grin that was spread across his face.

One may be wondering why they didn't simply grab the stone form him. Of course, Magus was asleep. Just not on the floor. Magus was floating just above the top of Gaspar's street light. The wizard must have climbed all the way up there since to Lucca knowledge; he could only float so high once he left the ground. The inventor made her way over and the princess quickly noticed her.

"Oh Lucca!" She whined. "Do something! We've got to get him down! I thought about shooting him with my crossbow but Crono told me not too."

"We don't kill companions." Crono muttered. "That means you too, Frog."

Frog glared. He didn't sheathe the Masamune, though.

Lucca puffed a heavy sigh and walked back to the Epoch. She had an idea, and it was a very good one. Digging around under the back seat she found what she needed – her old Air Gun. Most of her companions sold their outdated weapons, but Lucca did not. She kept every one of her guns in Epoch in case she ever needed them. The one she had now was much too powerful for her purposes – she may injure Magus which would cause him to return the favor. Quickly Lucca walked back to the light post.

"Lucca, what are you doing?" Crono asked, eyeing the gun. Lucca was now aiming at Magus.

"Fixing things." She smirked. Magus yelped as the blast of charged air hit him in the back and sent him sprawling towards the ground. He stopped just inches above the ground, but he wore a bitter expression despite the lack of injury. Frog let out a victory call and Marle scooped up the Moon Stone. The others merely laughed and patted Lucca on the back. The Mystic King wasn't a playful guy – at least not when it was he being made a fool of.

Magus rose to his feet (which were now on the ground) and glared at Lucca as if he'd like nothing better than to transfigure her body into some hideous creature. Crono however, sensing danger, quickly broke into some heroic dialogue. "Well, now that that's over; let's go charge the stone!"

Crono, Marle and Lucca piled into Epoch and took off without another word. Frog had expressed his desires to come along, but Crono wanted Lucca away from Magus until his temper subsided. And he wasn't about to leave Marle there. He _never_ left Marle at the End of Time. Well, only once. When they'd attacked Magus's castle. Lucca suspected that Crono had only left her because he thought this would be the horrible final battle and could be dangerous.

Lucca smiled at the thought. Some may think she'd be mad; since he only chose her over Marle when it was dangerous. If she asked him about it Crono would probably blush and mutter something about Lucca being able to take care of herself. And with her ego, Lucca would just laugh and accept it. Of course she knew the real reason. Everyone did. And ever since Crono had been brought back from the dead, he stopped trying to hide it. Lucca didn't mind. She was happy that Crono had found a good woman. Two years ago Lucca would have blasted Marle into dust for ever looking at Crono; but that time was long gone and so was her crush.

Lucca's thoughts were disrupted – as they usual were much to her dismay – by Epoch landing. They quickly exited the ship and made their way into the tropical cavern. Thankfully there were no monsters around to hinder their progress and they made good time getting the Sun Stone in place. Once they did they hurried off to Epoch and jumped ahead in time to 2300 A.D.

Still no monsters inhabited the cave and the group was even happier this time. The prospect of having the Sun Stone was making them walk twice as fast. Something about completing a quest always made Crono's mouth water. He loved this adventure stuff. But Crono and the girls soon received a nasty surprise. The stone was gone. Vanished without any clues. Crono kicked a rock, which of course caused his foot to hurt, and Marle pouted and whined.

"Don't worry, I've got an idea." Lucca smiled happily. "Let's just go get the others and have everyone search a different time period! If someone took the stone, we'll find it!"

**----**

So that was how she ended up flying Epoch with the entire group squashed behind her. Gaspar had failed to mention that with Epoch that whole three-people-rule was void. (_That would have saved us a lot of time!_) They had agreed on who would go where.

Ayla would be dropped off first. She'd find Kino and then search for the stone in 65,000,000 B.C. Robo would be in 2300 A.D. and search all of the domes and ruins for any sign of it. Marle and Crono would go to 1000 A.D. and look around. Frog would go to 600 A.D. and seek out aid from Queen Leene; while Magus went to 12,000 B.C. to check his own time. Lucca was going to stay in Epoch and fly to each time period periodically to check on results.

Of course that's not how it happened at all. Everyone else was dropped off just fine. It wasn't until only she and Magus remained that it happened. Magus removed his scythe from behind his cloak (he must use magic to hide it there, Lucca thought) and was using his finger to sharpen the blade. His finger, of course, was burning with fire magic so that it actually did sharpen it; rather than just cut him. Lucca had no problem with this as she began to set the dial for 12,000 B.C.

What she did have a problem with was that smile on Magus's face. It was a grin of revenge. Magus quickly pointed his finger away from the scythe and towards Lucca. Tiny flames jumped onto her neck and she leapt upwards very quickly while vocalizing a loud four-letter-word. She didn't even notice the dial moved just a hair past the "12,000" mark. Instead she turned around and glared at Magus.

"What the hell did you do that for!?" She snapped.

"Do what? I'm sorry, I must have dozed off." Magus replied with a sadistic smile. Lucca turned away from him with a huff and took off. Epoch shot forward at impressive speeds and all around them the hazy skies of 600 A.D. dissolved away into a vast field of white. Unfortunately that vast field of white was dampened in one spot where a large iron statue of a man with one hand raised to the sky was erected. Even more unfortunately; the statue was directly in front of Epoch.

Lucca screamed and turned the time machine as quickly as she could. It wasn't quick enough. If Dalton had been nice enough to give them just a bit more speed when he did his rework on their ship, they could have made it. Instead they tore off to the right just in time for their left wing to smash against the head of the statue. The wing tore off as easily as paper ripping and Epoch began to spin.

"If we survive this" Magus was snarling. "I'm going to kill you!"

Epoch was now spinning wildly and heading directly for a large cluster of brown beneath the white exterior of the planet. It was a village. Lucca saw her chance and took it. She pulled a lever on the side of her seat and the hood of Epoch shot open. Then she started unbuckling her seat belt.

"Insanity!" Magus screamed. "But what the hell, I can float."

Lucca dropped out of Epoch the second she let go of her seat belt. Magus dropped after her, although he floated down to the ground rather gracefully. Lucca fell fast, and landed hard. The white snow, now dyed with a red sauce she suspected to be her own blood, was the last thing she saw before closing her eyes.

**---- ---- ---- ---- ----**

Well? Love it? Hate it? Willing to endure some more of it so you can find out if you love it or hate it? Well then leave me a review. C'mon! Reviews make me write faster! It's true!


	2. Tricksters, Tyrants and Topless Inventor...

**Love, Cannibals and Evil Cats**

**By Brandon Rice**

**Disclaimer**: Not mine. Seriously.

**Quick Note**: To Lone Gunmen, who left the first review, yes I am a fan of LuMa, and I'd be happy to email you. Only one problem, FFnet's being bad and I can't see the picture box with your email in it. All I get is that annoying red x box. Anyway, as soon as FFnet stops being such a pain I'll send you that mail.

Oh, and I need a beta. If anyone's interested just let me know in a review, or email, or IM or whatever. Seriously, I NEED a beta.

**---- ---- ---- ---- ----**

_Chapter Two_

**---- ---- ---- ---- ----**

Lucca's eyes opened. Not that it made any difference, since she couldn't see. The only thing she saw was a large, brown blur. Her glasses were obviously someone other than their rightful place on her eyes, and it irritated her. Being conscious without her specs would give her a terrible headache in a few minutes. It was like her entire brain was out of focus without her sight. Grunting she tried to sit up, but found that that only caused a pain to shoot from her thigh down to her toes.

"Shit." Lucca breathed quietly, lying back and closing her eyes. Memories had flooded back to her by now and she was well aware that she should be thankful she even survived. Questions like 'Is Epoch okay?', 'Where am I?', 'What was that statue?' and, though she didn't know why 'What happened to Magus?' were swimming in her head right now. Though she wasn't even going to attempt to answer them. She noticed that she was not wearing her own clothes, either; rather she wore some insulated pajamas. Wool. She hated wool. It made her itch horribly – and the split-second she thought of this she began to itch all over.

It hurt to move, but she managed to get the wooly shirt off. Why did she have to be in wool? True, she'd probably freeze to death without it; but that was a small price to pay. She'd rather be cold than itchy. Had she known that Magus was sitting about three feet away on her right, she probably would have gone with itchy.

"And what is this supposed to be? If you think you're rewarding my saving your life by going topless, think again little nerd. Flea's more attractive than you."

Lucca dove beneath the blanket so quickly it hurt her leg once again. She glanced around the room till she saw a pale, blue-haired blur and then she glared at it. Magus laughed in the rudest, most obnoxious voice she'd ever heard. Lucca would have liked to say something, but she was trying to hold back the tears of pain from the dive to safety. She knew her leg must be broken, or sprained, or something.

"Where are we?" Lucca finally muttered.

"Second."

"What?"

"It's been twenty-two years since Zeal fell. This is the second largest human settlement in the new world. Uncreatively they named their town Second. It's sad, really. People this stupid don't deserve to live."

Lucca glared again. "What –"

"Epoch crashed." Magus said, already guessing the question. "It demolished a house they were building for the Mayor. They weren't too happy with us until I demonstrated my magic to them."

"You mean threatened them."

"I guess you really are a genius." Magus must have taken delight in sarcasm, because Lucca almost never received a straight answer. "Epoch is fine; except it can't fly and every time I try to time jump a little red light comes on."

Lucca groaned. "The battery must be dead."

Magus frowned, though Lucca couldn't see it. "Super, considering we're stuck in this God-forsaken land. Look, I found out the dirt. There's a town to the North that they built with the wreckage of the Blackbird."

Lucca looked rather excited. "If we could get to the old Blackbird engine we could recharge Epoch's battery and jump far enough ahead in time to repair it!"

Magus shook his head. "Whatever. We'll deal with that later. You get your rest."

Lucca nearly fainted. "W-what? Why?" Magus couldn't be concerned for her health, could he? That wasn't like him. He was mean, and evil, and cold; and not the caring kind.

Magus must have read her facial expression again because he laughed in that same obnoxious way and said: "Don't flatter yourself; I need you to fix Epoch. Now sleep, and keep your clothes on this time."

**----**

**About Seven Hours Ago**.

Magus watched as Lucca smashed into the icy ground. He hoped she wasn't dead, since that would mean he'd never repair Epoch. Looking to his side he soon realized he had more immediate problems than a crashed time machine. There was a pillar of smoke stretching all the way to the sky, black and inky. A wooden house was burning and Epoch's remaining wing could be seen within all the dancing flames. He didn't really care about that. He did care about the several people running towards them carrying large, pointed weapons.

"What the hell are you doing boy!?" An older man with shaggy gray hair reaching halfway down his back yelled as he arrived. He held a spear close to Magus's visage.

"Put that away." Magus warned.

"Who are you people?" A second man, this one younger with brown hair and a matching mustache bellowed. He held a sword, though it looked to be made of rock and not metal.

"Put that away." Magus repeated in a much icier tone.

"What did you do to the house?" The gray-haired man, who appeared to be the leader, asked once more. All of them wore badly knitted clothing and large fur cloaks over it. All of them except for the mustached man who wore a white silk robe with a silver cloak draped around his shoulders. It was the outfit the old Enlightened Priests used to wear.

Magus decided it was time they respected him. And as both his mother and Ozzie had taught him, respect can only be earned by fear. So in one swift motion Magus called his scythe to him and grabbed it from beneath his cloak. He swung it twice, once to cut the pole of the old man's spear and once to slice the rock-sword in half, and then held it loosely at his side.

The entire group flinched and took a collective step backwards. Magus's smirk, which had appeared at his victory, waned. He had noticed the large pool of red snow collecting around Lucca's unconscious body. Maybe she was dead. No, he could see her chest rise and fall slowly with each shallow breath. Although her shorts were torn and a large gash went all the way down the side of her leg.

"I am Magus." The wizard said to the crowd. "I am a mighty wizard who commands the magicks of the world. If you do as I say, I shall grant you power and fortune. If not I shall slaughter the lot of you and leave your bodies for the monsters that inhabit this world. Now, take my companion to someplace safe and see that she is treated for her wounds!"

The crowd didn't look convinced. Magus's right eye twitched out of annoyance. Hadn't they all seen Epoch fall from the sky and crash into their stupid hut? Wasn't it enough that he showed them he could slice them all into cadavers with his scythe? Well, it hadn't been enough for Queen Zeal and he was stupid to expect any better from these idiots.

"You take us for idiots?" The gray haired man laughed. "Magic died when Zeal fell. Unless you're from the Omen." At the mention of the flying Omen in the sky, everyone shuddered and Magus flicked his eyes up to his mum's palace.

"Show us some 'Magic', Mr. Wizard!" One of the men called out before laughing to his buddies.

"Fine." Magus growled. He made a quick gesture with his gloved hands and then pointed a finger at a large boulder that lay in the snow some feet away. A thin beam of black light shot from the tip of his finger and wrapped itself around the mass of earth. Then it all exploded in a burst of black inferno. This time the people all gasped and quickly ran to carry out Magus's orders. Magus grinned once again. It had been much too long since he had servants.

**----**

Magus spent his first hour learning the basics. Zeal had fallen twenty-two years ago and the world had united at the Last Village. Then one day, about two years after Zeal's downfall, Dalton had appeared with those who survived the Blackbird wreck and announced that he would be creating his own Kingdom, and any who came to serve him would be rewarded. The hunting had been bad and the blizzards worse, so nearly everyone went with him. Dalton had built a grand castle with a large statue of himself on top (Magus had swore very loudly at hearing this) and he'd used the Blackbird's remains to build a great ship that traveled with the same power as the airship, and contained a devastating laser canon; the last weapon of Zeal.

For about ten years things had been good. Then their food ran out. Most of the people followed a new leader – Rexham Gershwin – and gone south. They built a new home for themselves and called it "Second" since it was the Second City. Dalton had started a brief war with them to destroy the "traitors" but it was during that time that "they" appeared. Strange monsters that looked like small, purple kittens. That is until you got close enough for them to show their true form and devour you. (Magus had always wondered where his mother had gotten him the odd colored cat, and now it looked like Alfadore not only wasn't a cat, but wasn't one of a kind.)

Because the cat creatures lived in the only road between Dalton's City and Second, the war was called off. Rexham was old now, almost sixty-seven, so his son Maxx led the hunters. Second was divided into four kinds of people. The Hunters, which was every man and any strong woman, who's only job in life was to hunt monsters for meat. The Villagers, which was anyone too young, weak or old to fight. They spent their time making items from monster remains and the few herbs that grew in the caverns. The Explorers were all former hunters who, rather than hunting, traveled into the mountains to find spices and herbs and plants for medicine and food. And lastly the Leaders, which was Rexham Gershwin (the Mayor) and a few of his aids.

The old man who'd tried to spear Magus was Rexham Gershwin, and the man with the mustache was his son Cecil. Cecil and Maxx were brothers, but with one big difference; Maxx was a hunter and Cecil was a villager. Cecil was the local priest and healer in the town. He knew how to make the strongest medicines, so he was allowed to stay home from hunting.

After learning all of these things Magus had overseen the recovery of Epoch. Rexham had ordered many people to help dig Epoch out of its grave of snow and house wreckage. Magus had to wait nearly five hours for it to be done. When it was he had been disappointed to learn it wouldn't take him to the future, or past, or anywhere. So with nothing else to do he went to check on Lucca.

**----**

"Moon Stone? Never heard of it. Now get lost!"

Crono and Marle stood in the living room of the Mayor of Porre. He was a mean, chubby little man whose home smelled like pepper and jerky. The shelf beside the couch the mayor sat on was glowing silver, just as Magus had been when he held the Moon Stone, and neither of the time travelers was going to buy his story.

"We can see the sparkles!" Marle insisted.

"What sparkles? I ain't no fairy."

"Could've fooled me." Marle muttered before changing her approach. "Look buster, I happen to be Princess Nadia Guardia of the Guardia Kingdom! And if you don't hand over that Moon Stone right now I'm going to have my father put you in prison!"

The Mayor began to laugh very hard. By the time he was done he was lying on his side, clutching his chest with his pants now damp. The time traveling duo took a step in reverse.

"Sure you are. And I'm Toma the Explorer!" He called when he finally regained enough composure to speak. Marle looked both sickened and outraged as she reached around for her Crossbow, but Crono quickly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the Mayor's earshot.

"Marle, no! He's just a mean unhappy little man. We're not going to kill him." Crono said in his leader voice. "Hey, the house smells like jerky. Maybe we can buy some jerky, give it to his ancestors, and teach them the value of generosity."

Marle sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Hey, _Princess_!" The Mayor called sarcastically. "Maybe I'll give you the Moon Stone if you give me some –" As the man gave his request, Crono's eyes lit up with rage "How about it baby?"

"C'mon Crono, let's go get that jerky and get out of this perverts house!" Marle snapped. But Crono wasn't paying attention. The spiky-haired hero had drawn his katana and swung it with a vicious passion. The blade easily split the mayor's table in half and caused the mayor to soak his breeches once more.

"T-T-Take it!" The Mayor screamed, literally throwing the Moon Stone at them. Marle caught it and smiled. Crono returned his sword to its proper place before leading Marle out of the house with all due speed.

(C'mon, 9,900G for Jerky? Who hasn't wished you could just do this instead.)

**----**

The second time Lucca woke up something was different. She looked over to her right and saw a young man with rich russet hair and a matching mustache bending over her bed. Lucca gave a squeak and jumped backwards. As soon as she had done that she realized her leg wasn't hurting anymore, which drove away the idea that a strange man was next to her.

"Calm down Madam Lucca." The man said in a deep, soothing voice. "You are in no danger. I am Cecil, the healer of this town."

Lucca suddenly remembered the entire ordeal. Epoch, Magus, this strange town. "Oh." Then something else. "Hey, how'd you know my name?"

Cecil blinked. "Lord Magus informed us that you were called 'Lucca'."

Lucca settled back down into the bed. "Oh." And then. "_Lord_ Magus?"

Cecil nodded. "Indeed. My father, Lord Gershwin, has instructed us all to treat Lord Magus as we would him. And that includes noble titles."

Lucca knew how egotistical Magus was and she would hate to see how this was all going to his head. Then again, Magus _was_ the rightful heir of Zeal, so in a way he really was their ruler. "Well, I don't want a title. They bug me."

Cecil looked very nervous about this (it actually reminded her of when she had told Robo the same thing) but he offered her a smile and agreed to treat her formally. At least when his father wasn't around.

"Did you fix my leg?" Lucca asked.

"I did what I could. I mended your bones and gave you a special tonic that should take away all feelings of pain; but I could not seal the gash."

'_Gash? I have a gash? Great, as if I wasn't ugly enough._ Lucca thought miserably to herself. She grabbed the blanket and threw it off her. She was pleased to see her wool shirt was back on (it appeared the tonic also kept her from itching, since she didn't feel itchy at all) but she wasn't as happy about the rest of her. She wore pajama pants much like the shirt she had on, except the entire right pant leg was missing. Instead she saw her bare skin, and the deep red scar that went from her hip to her ankle. Lucca winced just thinking about it. She must have hit something on the way down, she figured, to make that kind of scar.

She looked over to Cecil, who was rummaging through a large black bag that appeared to be sitting on a chair. She still had a hard time seeing, so she couldn't quite tell what he'd removed from the bag.

"Lord Magus informed us of your eye condition as well." Cecil told her. "These are the only glasses I could find, you should wear them."

Lucca was going to argue that they may not even be her prescription, but as she slipped them on her sight suddenly became perfect. Cecil noted her shock.

"The Enlightened Ones used to wear those, before the collapse." He explained. "The glass is enchanted to change with the wearers needs. Most of the things from Zeal were ruined, or devoid of magic with Lavos-Power gone; but these still seem to work."

Lucca smiled and thanked him. Then she looked at her surroundings for the first time. She was in a large bed with silk sheets. It seemed off that they'd be made of such an expensive material, but it was a million times better than wool. The room itself was just a basic brown wood, but she noticed that the walls were covered in bookshelves full of novels and vials of liquids.

"This is my home." Cecil explained. "As I told you, I am the Town's Healer and Priest. It was best to bring you here since I have full access to any medicine you may need."

"Thanks." Lucca responded, though she had more questions. "Hey, where's Magus?"

"I believe he went out with my brother on the hunt today. I shall send him to see you once he returns at nightfall."

"Kay." Lucca responded before falling back into her pillows and drifting off too sleep. Cecil had neglected to mention that his potion would make her incredibly sleepy. Though it kept her from feeling the agony of her leg, so it was a fair trade. Cecil covered her back up with the sheet and then sat down in the chair Magus had once occupied and went back to his book.

**----**

"My lord."

"Yes?" Dalton responded tiredly. Dalton was older now. It had been twenty-two years since his thirtieth birthday and that was quite a long time. Still, he had the fear and respect of everyone in his Kingdom. His face was practically unchanged. Only a few gray hairs and a handful of wrinkles told the passage of time. He had not received Queen Zeal's promised immortality; but he had been around Lavos-Energy enough to slow down the aging process. Slow down, but not stop.

Dalton was in a bad mood today. Several hours ago, in the morning hours, something had crashed into his statue. A large scar was now spread across the "Grand Imperial Salute of Emperor Dalton" statue's face. It did not improve his mood when he saw the wing that was recovered. He knew what it was at once; a wing from the Aero-Dalton Imperial. Someone had his ship! Even after all these years, Dalton loved that ship. (Despite the fact it was never "his" to begin with.)

"We have confirmed reports of a strange man with blue hair in the traitor's village. He calls himself Magus and claims to be a wizard."  
  
Dalton's single eye flicked open at this. "Are you certain?"

"Quite." The underling responded as he bowed low before the throne of Dalton. "Our spy saw him!"

The Emperor's face split into a devilish smile. Magus? Wasn't that the name Janus had always used whenever he played pretend? Yes, Dalton still remembered those days in Zeal. Janus was an annoying boy with an annoying cat and no real talent for magic. Schala had pitied him, but Dalton never did. Whenever he saw the boy pretending to cast spells at night when he thought no one was watching – oh how Dalton hated those times!

"The spy also claims the blue-haired one had powerful magic." The underling's report continued.

"What!?" Dalton shot up in his seat. Everyone in the room flinched as he did. "No, impossible!"

"Shadow Magic, Lord Dalton." The underling informed him. Dalton cursed and leaned back.

"Send word to our spy to keep an eye on this 'Magus'. But my orders are not to break cover! As soon as we have more information we'll decide on how best to proceed."

If this blue-haired master of magic was indeed 'Magus', and if Magus was in reality Janus, then that was a problem. Dalton's engineers were close to solving the feline dilemma; which would mean his war could continue! Even after ten years, the idea of having Rexham Gershwin's head on a plate was too fine to pass up. And if he could have the head of Janus Zeal while he was at it, then praise the kingdom of Dalton!

**----**

The Inn in Porre smelled of jerky and pepper, as did everything in this town. Crono was lying on his bed looking up at the ceiling. He and Marle had had a long day. Lucca had dropped them off in Porre to find a boat that could ferry them across the ocean so they could check on the Sun Stone. She could have dropped them off right at the cave, but then if it was there they'd be stuck on that island until her return; and Marle wouldn't sleep on the floor.

Luckily enough they'd found the stone in Porre not long after being dropped off. The morning was still young and they had acquired the stone, returned it to its proper place and returned to Porre by the afternoon. It was almost nightfall and since Lucca didn't return they decided to get a room. Which led them to their current places; Crono lying on his bed bored as hell while Marle's off-key singing could be heard from her place in the bathroom.

Crono loved Marle, he really did, but he prayed he'd never hear her sing again. The shower had drowned out most of the sound but not nearly enough. Just like his ruby vest hadn't blocked enough of Spekkio's flare attack yesterday during his training. Oh well, he wasn't going to bother her. Instead he'd just stay in bed and rest. Tomorrow would be a big day. While Marle, Lucca and Frog had been busy on Death Mountain trying to revive Crono; Magus, Ayla and Robo had gone to Giant's Claw and obtained the Rainbow Shell. It was still stored at Guardia Castle; but since Crono was revived they had forgotten to go and pick it up. After they had the Sun Stone they were going to swing down to Marle's home and obtain whatever new goodies they could get.  
  
This was not going to happen, however.

At that moment the hotel room door burst open and several men came barging in. All of them instantly scowled at Crono and he wasn't sure if it was because of dislike for him, or for his taste in music. Each of the men wore black pants and matching shirts, as well as masks that covered their entire faces. Crono would have thought they looked like Ninjas if not for their choice of weapons. Two held hatches, another had a sickle (which was no where near as scary as Magus's) and the last two had pitchforks. A sixth man, who was short and chubby, held a miniature crossbow in his hand.

"Get him!" The Mayor of Porre's voice cried from behind the mask of the chubby sixth guy. Crono cursed.

Crono jumped backwards as the man with the sickle slashed at him. The scythe cut the bed sheets and ruined his pillow; but didn't touch the lightening imbued youth at all. Crono drew his katana – the Swallow – and slashed once with thunder-quick speed. The blade drew blood across the man's legs just behind his knees and he went sprawling to the floor with a moan.

"GET HIM! KILL HIM!" The Mayor shouted.  
  
The two men with hatches ran forward now. The small hand axes were great against trees; but lousy against Crono. Crono slashed his sword across once and cut the hands of the men holding the hatches. They both dropped the axes as they let out cries of pain (still not enough to drown Marle's shower song, though). Crono then kicked one of the men in his happy place and hit the other in the forehead with the hilt of his blade.

"Oh for crying out loud! KILL THAT BASTARD!"

The first pitchfork user thrust his weapon like a spear. Crono held the Swallow out in front of him and caught the fork. The sword was in-between the two rusty points on his enemies weapon and since Crono was much stronger, he held him in place. Crono pushed the foe back and then let fly with a lightning attack. The poor fool was shocked, dropped and unconscious in seconds.

It was the Mayor's turn now. He raised his mini-crossbow and fired three dart-sized arrows into Crono's chest. Crono raised his sword to strike, and then fell down asleep.

"Sleeping Venom." The Mayor laughed to his companion.

A moment later Marle exited the bathroom. She was dressed once more and just fastening her pendant around her neck when she realized what was going on. Too late; the Mayor shot her as well and she fell asleep quickly. Then the mayor started walking towards her with a mean look in his eyes.

"What'cha doing boss?" the remaining pitchfork henchmen asked nervously.

"Well I ain't giving her flowers." The Mayor laughed. "This one's too cute to pass up."

"But boss! That really is Princess Nadia! My brother works up at the castle; I've seen her before." The henchman was nervous. He knew his boss's reputation, and if he did that to the princess it would be enough to get all of Porre destroyed.

The Mayor cursed as fluently as an angry sailor, but suddenly stopped and turned to look at the unconscious Crono. The henchmen shivered, misunderstanding his boss's intention.

"C'mon boss, not the guy, that's nasty."

"No you retard!" The Mayor snapped. "I've got a plan. Tie the Princess up, put her in a sack full of jerky, and send her to the ship that sails from the port at sundown."

The Henchmen's eyes widened behind the mask. "That ship sails to the Mystic Village."

"I know, idiot. She'll be killed when the Mystics find a hidden human. Tie the boy up and send him to Guardia Castle with a note saying we saw him murder the princess. We'll get a big fat reward, and they'll both die for what they did to me!"

The Mayor laughed a long, loud laugh just like he had back at his house during his first encounter with Crono and Marle. And just like at his house, a damp spot appeared. The henchmen ignored this and obeyed the order.

**----**

Hey! Wow, I got two reviews on FFnet, and one on MMorg. Awesome. Thanks you guys, it's really nice to know someone's reading it. Here's chapter two, hope you enjoyed it. I know, no LuMa yet. But if I rush it, it'll seem OOC and mushy. And I don't want that. Next chapter we'll see Magus blow stuff up, A village girl mistakes Lucca and Magus's relationship, and Crono winds up in jail . . . again.


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